Footstool

ABSTRACT

A footstool for use with a toilet, that includes a pair of parallel footrests that are connected at their aligned forward ends to the opposite ends of a spacer, generally forming a U-shape configuration. The U-shape configuration allows for the storage the footstool fitted to and partially around the base of a western toilet. A sidewall extends downward from the footrests and spacer leaving an open bottom end. Legs elevate the footrest from the flooring. Leg extenders may be inserted into the base of the legs to adjust the elevation of the footstool. The leg extenders may be stored in the open bottom end. The legs and leg extenders can receive a non-slip material installed to bottom ends thereof to prevent the footstool from slipping.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

A footstool for supporting a person's feet while sitting on a toilet.

2. Prior Art

The modern day toilet most commonly used in the western world consistsof a bowl that can be cylindrical, oblong, or the like, that is elevatedabove a bathroom floor. The user sits in an upright position with theirbuttocks resting against an outer ring of the toilet bowl to defecateinto the bowl. The modern day toilet is convenient, but not perfect. Thehuman body has evolved and is designed to be in the squatting positionwhen defecating. When squatting, the user's knees are above the anus.While using a modern western toilet, the knees are essentially levelwith their anus. Accordingly, the change from a person squatting withtheir knees higher than the anus to where their knees are essentiallylevel with the anus has brought on numerous health problems to the user.

Normal defecation is thought to necessitate three components:spontaneous phasic rectal contraction that starts during storage(autonomic component); relaxation of the anal canal with an enlargedanorectal angle (mostly a somatic component); and straining (somaticcomponent). In the sitting position, the anorectal angle is kinked whichputs upward pressure on the rectum and hinders the ability to defecate.The kink in the anorectal angle causes several major complications. Theuser is unable to fully eliminate the fecal material stored in thecolon, and the user is forced to strain more in order to defecate.

Because the user is unable to rid themselves of fecal matter, toxins arestored longer in the colon. This may result in the short term issuessuch as dysentery. The long term effect may result in issues as seriousas colon cancer.

The additional strain may result in incomplete or successive movementsthat can be difficult, irregular, and/or painful. In addition, thisstrain causes excessive pressure in the anal and rectal veins. Thisexcessive pressure may cause permanent damage and result in theformation of hemorrhoids. Furthermore, the user is at risk of developingmicrotears in the rectal region that can lead to a prolapsed rectum,where the rectal walls pass through the anus and lie exposed to the airand is extremely painful.

Because of the problems created by sitting to defecate, many users willutilize medications such as stool softeners or laxatives. Other usersmust limit their diets. Some users must defecate several times a day,thus limiting their daily life activities and lowering the quality oftheir lives. In the worst cases, the user develops life threatingconditions, such as colon and rectal cancer.

In contrast to western countries, such as Asian and African countries,where the common method for defecating is in a squatting position, thegeneral population has a very low incidence of hemorrhoids,constipation, colon cancer, and diverticulosis compared to the westernworlds. Research has shown that in some people, the anorectal angle kinkis completely gone while squatting. Because in the modern world a toiletis installed in every house, business, and building and so engrainedinto the culture, the probability of changing the modern western toiletis not feasible. Therefore, a device is needed that utilizes the modernwestern toilet, but still achieves the benefits of squatting.

Several attempts have been made to assist the user to assume a squattingposition while using the western toilet. The majority of the prior artuses a simple stool that is placed in front of the toilet. However,these stools are in-convenient, generally making it harder for the userto sit down on the toilet and difficult to store. Where a stoolstructure is shown in a U.S. Patent to Hokroski, U.S. Pat. No.4,713,846, such did not provide for a nesting against the toilet bowl instored attitude as does the invention and was therefore hard to positionand difficult to clean. Further, where in general structure of theinvention was shown in a prior art Design Patent application No.29/430,327, submitted by the present inventor, this foot stool lackedthe ability for a user to conveniently adjust the footstool height toaccommodate different heights of toilets and user requirements. Thisheight adjustment capability is needed to allow for different toiletconfigurations. Also, because of the variant heights of the human race,it is essential to have a stool that can be adjusted to both the heightof the user and the toilet. None of the other prior art provides for alow cost means for adjusting the height of a footstool.

The invention recognizes a potential benefit of providing a footstoolthat allows a user to maintain a squatting position while using thetoilet, yet is easily adjustable for the variant in human heights andtoilet bowl heights that can be conveniently stored under the toilet andis easily pulled into a position to comfortably support a user's feet.In addition, the footstool of the invention is formed to be light inweight yet sturdy enough to not collapse should an adult stand on it,and is easily manufactured preferably from a plastic material to be lowin cost and is easily cleaned.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an easily portable footstool that isstored in front of a western toilet that allows a user to positionstheir feet on it to maintain a squatting position while using thetoilet. The invention includes the two parallel footrests that areconnected at their aligned forward ends by a spacer, providing a u-shapedesign that, when not in use, is easily stored by nesting around thebase of a western toilet. A sidewall extends downward from the footrestsleaving an open area under the footrest and spacer, creating an openbottom end, with the spacer lower edge available for use as a handlethat a user can grasp to move the footstool.

Additionally, legs are included with the invention to elevate thefootrest and spacer from the flooring, and a friction pad is preferablyfitted onto the bottom of each leg to prevent the footstool from movingduring use.

Leg extenders allow for the use of the invention for the variant inhuman heights and toilet bowl heights. To attach the leg extenders tothe footstool, the user simply removes a friction pad from a groove inthe bottom of each of the legs. A bayonet connection at the top end ofeach the leg extender is used to connect the leg extender to the leg.Thereafter, each fiction pad is inserted into a channel located on thebase of each of the leg extender. When the leg extenders are not in use,the invention provides storage grooves formed within the footstool bodywhere the leg extenders bayonet ends fit into.

It is a principal object of the invention to provide a footstool whichheight is easily adjustable to account for the variant in human heightsand toilet bowl heights. Still another object of the invention is toprovide a footstool that can easily be stored at the base of a westerntoilet, that is formed from plastic to be attractive, easily cleaned andis cost effective in its manufacture

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention may take form in certain parts and arrangement of parts,and preferred embodiment of which will be described in detail in thespecification and illustrated in the accompany drawing, which for a parthereof:

FIG. 1 shows a side plan view of a footstool of the invention, showingtwo parallel footrests that are connected at their aligned forward endsby a spacer, providing a u-shape design;

FIG. 2 shows a side view of the footstool of FIG. 1 further includingleg extenders that have been fitted into the base ends of the legs;

FIG. 3 shows a side view of the footstool that shows an exploded view ofthe leg extender;

FIG. 4 shows a bottom view of the footstool showing the leg extendersinternal storage location within the body of the footstool, whichextenders, are shown in FIG. 6, are shown fitted to;

FIG. 5 shows a top view of the footstool; and

FIG. 6 shows a profile sectional view taken along the line 6-6 of FIG. 5showing the leg extenders in their storage position.

DRAWING Reference Numbers

4 top end 6 bottom end 10 footstool 18 sidewall 20 leg extenders 22groove 24 friction pad 28 footrests 30 spacer 32 Legs 40 raised edge 50storage groove 52 open bottom end 56 channel 60 raised ridges

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows a body of a footstool 10 that includes the two parallelfootrests 28 that are connected at their aligned forward ends by aspacer 30, providing a u-shape configuration that has radius selected tofit, to nest against and partially extend around a common western toiletbase. The foot rests 28 on the top surfaces preferably include aplurality of lateral ridges 60. A sidewall 18 extends downward from thefootrests 28 and spacer 30 leaving an open bottom end 52. Extending fromthe sidewall 18 are a plurality of legs 32 whose bottom ends engages thefloor. FIG. 2, shows the invention in the footstool 10 as including legextenders 20 shown fitted into the base of the legs 32.

The parallel footrests 28 arranged are larger than a human's feet toprovide solid surfaces for the user feet to rest upon, and supportingthe user's weight in the squatting position. The footrests 28 are eachconnected to ends of a center spacer 30. One footrest 28 is located onone end of the spacer 30, with a corresponding foot rest 28 located onthe other end of the longitudinal axis of the spacer 30. The footstool10 horizontal plane generally has an arch or u-shape configuration. Thisu-shape configuration allows the user to easily store the footstool 10,by nesting it around the base of the western toilet. The length of thespacer 30 is generally wide enough to allow the user to comfortablysquat, while allowing the footstool 10 to be stored at the base of awestern toilet. Normally the footrests' 28 horizontal plane is parallelto the floor. However, the footrests 28 may be angled to provide betteruser position to squat while using the western toilet.

Located along the outer circumference of the footrests 28 and spacer 30is located a sidewall 18. The sidewall 18 may be perpendicular to thehorizontal plane of the footrest 28 or flair out from the outercircumference of the footstool 10. Preferably the sidewall 18 forwardedge narrows to allow it to be conveniently gripped by the user foradjusting the position of the footstool 10. The sidewall 18 forms anopen bottom end 52 under the footrest 28. The sidewall 18 is commonlymade of the same material as the footrests 28 and the spacer 30, and arepreferably manufactured from a plastic material utilizing moldingmethods.

A plurality of raised ribs 60 are located on top of the footrest 28. Theraised ribs 60 create a non-slip surface to prevent the user's foot fromsliding off the footrest 28. However, other non-slip surfaces ormaterials may also be used.

As shown in FIG. 1, the legs 32 support the footrests 28 and spacer 30,and are connected to the bases of the sidewall 18. The connectionbetween the legs 32 and the footrest 28 and sidewall 18 must be suchthat it supports the weight of a human body. The connection between thelegs 32 and sidewall 18 preferably has an arch shape that, in practice,will distribute the weight of the user into the legs 32. In addition,the top of the arch allows for the user to easily grasp the footstool10, providing a hand grip to facilitate a user in positioning thefootstool 10. The lengths of the legs 32 are preferably of a height toallow a user to comfortably squat while using a western toilet whilestill allowing the footstool 10 to be stored at the base of the westerntoilet

As shown in FIG. 6, a groove 22 is formed into the base of each leg 32.The groove 22 is generally located near the outer circumference of eachlegs 32. However, any open cavity that will also receive a friction pad24, as shown in FIG. 3, is acceptable. The friction pad 24 prevents thefootstool 10 from easily moving along floors and dampens the sound ofthe footstool 10 against flooring. The friction pad 24 is placed insidethe groove 22. The friction pad 24 is generally made of a soft materialsuch as a rubber type material. The friction pad 24 generally has aslightly larger circumference than the groove 22. When the friction pad24 is placed inside the groove 22, the resistance between the frictionpad 24 and the sidewall of the groove 22 is such that a deliberate forceis required to remove the friction pad 24. An adhesive material may beused to secure the friction pad 24 in the groove 22.

Shown in FIGS. 2, for height adjustment, the leg extenders 20 areconnected to each of the legs 32. Each leg extender 20 generally has thesame outer circumference as the leg 32 base it is fitted into. To createa pleasing look, when the leg extenders 20 are installed, there will bea smooth surface between the footstool 10 legs and the leg extenders 20.To accommodate variants in toilet heights and human heights, the lengthof the extender legs 20 can vary based upon the user's preference. Inaddition, the length of each individual extender leg 20 may vary. Thisallows the user to adjust the top angle of the footrest 28.

As seen in FIG. 3, the leg extenders 20 generally have a top end 4 and abottom end 6. Located at the top end 4 of the leg extender 20 is araised edge 40. The raised edge 40 is generally located near the outercircumference of the top end 4. The size and shape of the raised edge 40is nearly identical as the groove 22. Preferably, the raised edge 40will have a slightly smaller circumference than the groove 22. It ispreferable that the friction between the raised edge 40 and the groove22 is such that a deliberate force will be required to remove the legextender 20 from the leg 32. An adhesive material may be used to securethe leg extenders 20 in the groove 22. When the friction pad 24 isremoved from the groove 22, the raised edge 40 may be placed inside thegroove 22. The length and size of the raised edge 40, and groove 22 mustbe such that, when the leg extender 20 is installed in the groove 22,the connection there between will be sufficient to support the weight ofa human.

Shown in FIG. 6, a channel 56 is formed in the base of the leg extender20. The channel 56 has the same shape and size as the groove 22 that islocated on the base of the leg 32. In practice, when the leg extender 20is placed on the leg 32, the friction pad 24 is fitted into the channel56. It is preferable that the friction between the friction pad 24 andthe channel 56 will be such that a deliberate force will be required toremove the friction pad 24. An adhesive material may be used to securethe friction pad 24 in the channel 56.

As shown in FIG. 6, the body of the footstool 10 is open to allow accessinto the interior thereof through the bottom ends of the side walls 18and spacer 30 forming the open bottom end 52. The open bottom end 52allows access to storage grooves 50 formed on the undersurface of thefootrest that are for receiving the leg extenders 20 raised ridges 60.The storage grooves 50 are the same shape and size as the grooves 22located at the base of the legs 32. As shown in FIG. 6, the legextenders 20 can be stored in the open bottom end 52 of the footrest 28.It is preferable that the friction between the leg extender's 20 raisededges 40 and the storage grooves 50 is such that a deliberate force willbe required to remove each leg extender 20 from a storage groove 50. Anadhesive material or tape may be used to secure the leg extenders 20 inthe storage grooves 50.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention of the footstool 10 withextender legs 20 has been shown and described herein, it should,however, be understood that the description above contains manyspecificities that should not be construed as limiting the scope of theinvention. Thus, the scope of the embodiment should be determined by theappended claims and their legal equivalents thereof, rather than by theexamples given.

What is claimed:
 1. A footstool for use with a toilet, the footstoolhaving a body composed of, a pair of parallel footrests connectedthrough a spacer generally forming an U-shape configuration, that ispreferably an arch where said arch shape allows for fitting of thefootstool around the base of a western toilet; extending downwardly fromsaid footrest and said spacer is a sidewall, said sidewall forming anopen bottom end; said footrests, sidewall, and spacer are attached to aplurality of legs; a leg extender that is releasably fitted into thebase of said leg; and said footstool including means for storing saidleg extenders within said open bottom end.
 2. The footstool as recitedin claim 1, wherein a non-slip material is releasable attach to the baseof said legs.
 3. The footstool as recited in claim 1, wherein saidnon-slip material is releasable attach to said bottom ends of each ofsaid leg extenders.
 4. The footstool as recited in claim 1, wherein saidleg extenders are secured to said legs by an adhesive material.
 5. Thefootstool as recited in claim 1, wherein one pair of the leg extendersis of a lesser length than the other pair of said leg extenders.
 6. Thefootstool as recited in claim 1, wherein each said leg extender includesa straight bayonet section a top end that is for fitting into a slotformed in the base end of each said leg.
 7. The footstool as recited inclaim 6, wherein the under surface of the said footrest and said spacerinclude a storage groove that are each formed therein to receive each ofthe leg extender straight bayonet sections.